New York Film Critics Name 'La La Land' 2016's Best Film

La La Land has emerged as an early front-runner in the awards season, while Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea are also shaping up as top contenders.
The New York Film Critics Circle has voted La La Land the Best Film of 2016. The win gives the stardust-sprinkled romantic musical an enormous boost as the awards season continues to gather momentum. Its 12 nominations in the Critics Choice Awards also augur well for its Oscar chances.

However, the New York critics only honored Damien Chazelle’s film in the top category. No single film dominated the group’s awards. Two movies — Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea —won three apiece.

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From Cairo to Aswan, this trip brings the land of the pharaohs to life. You'll visit the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple and cruise down the Nile in style. This is the perfect way to explore Egypt.Barry Jenkins was named Best Director for Moonlight. The African-American drama also picked up awards for Mahershala Ali, voted Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and for James Laxton’s cinematography. Moonlight won four Gotham Awards earlier in the week.

Manchester by the Sea earned its director Kenneth Lonergan the prize for Best Screenplay and Casey Affleck the award for Best Actor, repeating his win at the Gothams. His co-star Michelle Williams won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performances in both Manchester by the Sea and Certain Women.
The New York critics also garlanded Isabelle Huppert for two performances. She was named Best Actress for her work in both Elle and Things to Come. Her win at the Gothams was solely for her work in Elle.
Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Germany’s submission to the Academy Awards, was chosen as Best Foreign Language Film. Disney’s Zootopia, directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, won for Best Animated Film.
Trey Edward Shults’s Krisha and Kelly Fremon Craig’s The Edge of Seventeen tied in the Best First Film category and will each receive awards. Shults won the Bingham Ray Best Breakthrough Director Award at the Gothams.

Ezra Edelman’s O.J.: Made in America, another Gothams winner, was chosen as Best Documentary by the New York critics, but only after “a lively debate about the nature of documentary financing,” said chairman David Edelstein. The five-part, seven-hour O.J. Simpson documentary was made for ESPN but has been screened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles.
The New York Critics Circle will commemorate the restoration and 25th anniversary release of Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust with a special award.
Similarly honored will be Thelma Schoonmaker. One of American cinema’s greatest editors, she is best known for her long collaboration with Martin Scorsese. She will likely enter the Oscar frame once Scorsese’s Silence is released on December 23rd. The New York Film Critics Circle will hand out the awards at Tao Downtown, Manhattan, on January 3 — Ms. Schoonmaker’s 77th birthday.
Graham Fuller is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle
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